Hurts+So+Good

//Hurts So Good//- Lance Armstrong's Comeback
By: Brianna, Greg, and Josh



In 2003, Lance Armstrong won his fifth straight Tour de France and his first since surviving Testicular Cancer. For Lance, the race was filled with suffering and setbacks. Before the Tour even started he was dealing with diarrhea and road rash from a pre-race fall. Things didn't get any easier once the race started. In an early stage he swerved to avoid a crash and ended up with a tire track bruise down his entire back. He made his own mistakes as well. There were times when he brought the wrong amount of water and ended up being so dehydrated he barely finished. Bad luck was his own worst enemy when with just a 15 second lead, a spectator's bag hooked his handle bars and sent him flying form his bike. He was bruised and sore but his goal of winning six straight Tour de Frances hung in the balance. He got back on and rode as hard as he could to the finish line. He came out with the win. This one wasn't all about winning for Lance, he had beaten cancer, and did what everyone said he couldn't. All he had to say to the other riders after was, "How ya like me now?"



"This was the year Armstrong beat them aching, beat them dumb, beat them unlucky." - This quote is just a brief overview of what Armstrong had to go through during the race in order to win. "If cancer can't bury him, a bunch of guys in Lycra shorts have no chance." - Armstrong battled cancer and came out on top. If he can make it through that and fully recover, no one else will be able top him.

Lance Armstrong sets a great example to anyone who has ever doubted they can do something. He got back on the bike after every possible setback. He was taking falls, suffering from extreme dehydration and getting tangled with the other riders: not to mention he had just survived testicular cancer. He sets the ultimate example of anything you set your mind to, you can accomplish. More importantly, you must believe in yourself. Even when everyone else had forgotten about Armstrong, he had faith. Quitting crossed his mind, but he never let it get to him. He fought through it and finished strong. Armstrong also had his son to help support him. "Armstrong and his three-year-old son, Luke, play a little game. Lance asks Luke, 'What does Daddy do?' And Luke always answers, 'Daddy makes them suffer.'" Lance's son Luke gives Lance a reason to keep pushing through the touch times. He wants to be there for his son and be a role model to him as well.



Lance Armstrong overcame more than any individual should ever have to go through. What can be taken away from his comeback story, more specifically from his fifth Tour de France win as motivation for yourself?

Reilly Article- Hurts So Good